Mother of 3 battling leukemia

DANBURY - Linda Lowenthal lives in New Jersey, but she was born and raised in this city, where her maiden name, Feinson, is well-known.

For 93 years, until it closed in 2000, her family ran a famous men's clothing store in Danbury. Lowenthal's mother and father, Debbie and Robert Feinson, still live in Danbury, where they are active in the community.

In the mid-1990s, Lowenthal, 36, moved to West Orange, N.J., where she lives with her husband, Michael, and their three children. She has a boy, Benjamin, 7, and two little girls, Sadie, 4, and Alexandra, 11 months.

Lowenthal also has leukemia, a cancer of the blood. The disease struck in December of 2002, when Lowenthal was five months pregnant with Alexandra.

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Three rounds of chemotherapy - two while she was pregnant - put the cancer in remission, for a while. She also had what's called an autologous stem cell transplant in May in which her stem cells were removed, given chemotherapy and replaced in her body.

But Lowenthal had a relapse and now her only hope for a cure lies in a bone marrow transplant. She needs one soon, but no match has been found among relatives and friends.

"We all have known and loved the Feinsons for eons," Danbury resident
Joan Lipman
said. Lipman and many of the Feinsons' friends are helping to coordinate a bone marrow drive here next month in hopes of finding a match for Lowenthal.

"Maybe in her hometown with people who love her, we'll find a donor," Lipman said.

, where Lipman and the Feinsons are long-time members. Gift of
Life Bone Marrow Foundation
, which is headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla., will run the drive.

Lipman urges anyone between the ages of 18 to 60 who is in good health to come to the drive for the simple test in which no blood is drawn. The test is a swab of cells taken from inside the mouth.

Those who take the test are entered into the
Gift of Life Bone Marrow Registry
, which helps people around the world who need transplants. Even if a potential donor is not a match for Lowenthal, Lipman said, "Some other person who is waiting for a transplant could be helped."

Those who are tested are under no obligation to donate their bone marrow even if a match is found.

There is no charge to take the test. But since each test kit costs $78, the coordinators of the bone marrow drive are accepting monetary donations to help cover expenses, Lipman said.

Because Lowenthal is of Eastern European Jewish descent, a match could more likely be found with someone of that ancestry. But a match from outside that ethnic background is also very possible, Lowenthal said from her home in New Jersey. Lowenthal, who graduated from
Danbury High School
in 1985, went on to get a graduate degree in social work from Boston University.

When a match is found, Lowenthal will go to a Seattle, Wash., hospital for the transplant procedure, which takes four to six weeks. Including the follow-up, Lowenthal said she'll probably be in Seattle for several months.

"I'm looking forward to putting all this behind me," she said. But she's grateful to the friends of her family here who are rooting for her. "It's wonderful that everyone has been so active to find me a match," she said.

For Lipman and others helping the family, the reason was clear. "Debbie and Robbie (Feinson) have spent their lives helping individuals. Now it's time to help them and to help Linda," said Lipman.

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The donor drive to help find a match for
Linda Feinson Lowenthal
will be held Feb. 8 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the United Jewish Center at 141 Deer Hill Ave. in Danbury. You can walk in on that day for the simple mouth swab test if you are between 18 and 60 years of age and in general good health. But to register to be tested, to make a monetary donation, for more information or to volunteer on the day of the drive, call 203-790-0308 or 203-748-6377. For questions about bone marrow donor eligibility, call Gift of Life at 800-9MARROW.

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